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Transcription

REPORT
SMART
The Professional Buyers’ Reference
HITEC 2014
IS YOUR DATA SAFE? ARCHITECTURE
& EQUIPEMENT
GUEST BATHROOMS
- THE NEW PARADIGM TRAVEL & TOURISM
THE RISE OF MEDICAL
TOURISM
INNOVATIONS
& TECHNOLOGIES
THE NEW JEWEL IN ACCOR
GROUP'S U.S. CROWN David Esseryk SPOTLIGHT
INDUSTRY
VP Consumer Technology, Accor Trygve
Ronningen
Jacques
Bolze
Renée-Marie
Stephano
CEO of Cenium
Director of Product
Solutions and Standards,
Accor
President of the Medical
Tourism Association
WORLDWIDE EDITION N°22 / June - August 2014
REPORT
SMART
REPORT
SMART
CONTENT
The Professional Buyers’ Reference
HITEC 2014
IS YOUR DATA SAFE?
ARCHITECTURE
& EQUIPEMENT
GUEST BATHROOMS
- THE NEW PARADIGM
N°22 / June - August 2014
TRAVEL & TOURISM
THE RISE OF MEDICAL
TOURISM
INNOVATIONS
& TECHNOLOGIES
THE NEW JEWEL IN ACCOR
GROUP'S U.S. CROWN
David Esseryk
SPOTLIGHT
INDUSTRY
VP Consumer Technology, Accor
Trygve
Ronningen
Jacques
Bolze
CEO of Cenium
Director of Product
Solutions and Standards,
Accor
Renée-Marie
Stephano
Tourism Association
WORLDWIDE EDITION N°22 / June - August 2014
FOREWORD
On cover:
© Accor Group
07 EVENTS CALENDAR
09 SPECIAL FEATURE: HITEC
It’s a HITEC World!
Welcome to the 2014 HITEC edition of our Hotel & Tourism
SMARTreport.
Richard Barnes
Editor-in-chief
[email protected]
Tel: +33 (0) 4 42 77 46 00
Follow us on:
www.cleverhotel.org
Our ongoing partnership with HITEC (see articles from
page 9) reflects the ever-closer alignment between HFTP
– producers of the show – and Cleverdis – publishers of
this SMARTreport – in working to inform and educate
the industry in such a way that it may prosper and
grow more rapidly. The interview with HITEC keynote,
former FBI counterintelligence agent Eric O’Neill further
underpins this mission.
As times change so do work methods, and to this end we
are thrilled to have the presence in this edition of Petter
Stordalen, CEO of Nordic Choice and Trygve Ronningen,
CEO of Cenium, explaining the ideas behind ERP in the
hotel sector. Meanwhile a face-to-face between Tim
Brown, SVP eCommerce, MICROS and Jason Jefferys,
CEO and co-founder of iRiS Software Systems enlightens
us about their exciting new partnership.
In the Architecture & Equipment section, our special
focus in this issue is the guest bathroom – which is
experiencing a major revolution at the moment. The Accor
group’s eminent expert in the field, Jacques Bolze, gives
his point of view. Another Accor expert – our regular
contributor – David Esseryk, who is featured on this issue’s
cover, contributes with his thoughts on the smartphone
as a guest door key, and also outlines the whys and
wherefores of the latest jewel in the Accor crown – the
New York Times Square Novotel. Our spotlight on the
Novotel is completed with an exclusive interview with the
hotel’s General Manager, Marc Sternagel, as well as some
of the key suppliers on the project – including innovators
Monscierge and Passman.
In our Travel & Tourism section, we spotlight Medical
Tourism, which is experiencing continued growth – with a
current trend for Americans to head for the old Continent.
We would like to thank the Medical Tourism Association
for their great help in compiling these pages.
We hope that in all, this SMARTreport is as complete and
interesting as you may expect, and look forward to your
feedback!
www.cleverhotel.org
09 It’s That Time of The Year 10 Thought Leadership in Hospitality
Frank Wolfe, CEO of HFTP
11 How Secure is YOUR Hotel’s Data?
Eric O’Neill, Former FBI counterintelligence
operative
12 HITEC Schedule-at-a-Glance
14 When Technology is Part of Something
“Bigger”
Petter Stordalen, Owner & CEO Nordic Choice
Hotels
16 Seamless Cross-Platform Integration
Trygve Ronningen, CEO, Cenium
18 Face to Face
Tim Brown, Vice President Strategic Accounts - MICROS - Europe, Africa & Middle East (EAME)
Jason Jefferys, CEO and co-founder of iRiS
Software Systems
21 A RCHITECTURE
& EQUIPMENT
21 Hotel Guest Bathrooms
Trends, ideas and secrets to ensure the
ultimate guest experience
23 Hotel Bathrooms…
What Guests Want
Jacques Bolze, Director of Product Solutions
and Standards for the Accor Group
25 Buyers' Guide
Shower & Bath Thermostats
27 INNOVATIONS
& TECHNOLOGIES
27 When Only The Best of Technology Will Do
29 In The Field - with David Esseryk
The "inside line" on what's hot
in Hospitality Technologies
The New Hotel Key – Your Smartphone
31 The Inside Line
Marc Sternagel, GM of the New York Times
Square Novotel
32 A New Dawn in the City That Never Sleeps
David Esseryk, VP Consumer Technology,
Accor
34 Enhancing The Local Experience
Marcus Robinson, CEO (Chief EXPERIENCE
Officer) at Monscierge
35 Novotel Web Corner V3 Gets Thumbs Up in
NYC
36 Buyers' Guide
Interactive TV Systems
37 Turning Your MiniBars into Satisfaction
Centers
Christelle Pigeat, CEO, Vice President Sales &
Marketing, Mobile Simple
39 TRAVEL
& TOURISM
39 New Horizons
40 HOTEL OPENING CALENDAR
41 Smart Luxury
John T.A. Vanderslice, Global Head, Luxury
Brands, Hilton Worldwide
42 The Americans Are Coming!
Renée-Marie Stephano, President
of the Medical Tourism Association
6 Hotel & Tourism SMARTreport / Worldwide Edition N°22 / June - August 2014
EVENTS
CALENDAR
19 JUNE 2014
Forum Hotel & Spa
Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris, France
> www.forumhotspa.com
2014
CLEVERDIS
PARTNER
21-22 OCTOBER 2014
Independent Hotel Show
Olympia West Hall, London, United Kingdom
> www.independenthotelshow.co.uk/
CLEVERDIS
29-31 OCTOBER 2014
ITB Asia
Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, Singapore
> www.itb-asia.com/en
PARTNER
23-26 JUNE 2014
Hospitality Financial & Technology Professionals
HITEC 2014
Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
> www.hftp.org/hitec
9-15 AUGUST 2014
Virtuoso Travel Week
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
> http://virtuosotravelweek.virtuoso.com/
23-25 SEPTEMBER 2014
PIR Expo - Hotel development, design & operation
IEC ‘Crocus Expo’, Moscow, Russia
> http://hotel.pir.ru/en
CLEVERDIS
PARTNER
International French Travel Market – IFTM Top
Resa
Porte de Versailles, Paris, France
> www.iftm.fr
The Hotel Show
Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
> www.thehotelshow.com
3-6 NOVEMBER 2014
World Travel Market - WTM
ExCel London, London, United Kingdom
> www.wtmlondon.com
7 NOVEMBER 2014
European Hospitality Awards - EHA
London, United Kingdom
> www.arena-international.com/eha
16-20 NOVEMBER 2014
Equip’Hotel Paris
Porte de Versailles, Paris, France
> www.equiphotel.com
CLEVERDIS
PARTNER
26-27 NOVEMBER 2014
The Sleep Event London
Business Design Centre, London, United Kingdom
> www.thesleepevent.com
6-9 OCTOBER 2014
EuroCHRIE Conference 2014 - Hospitality and
Tourism Futures
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
> www.eurochrie2013-freiburg.de/
A CLEVERDIS Publication, 65 avenue Jules Cantini, Tour Méditerranée, 13006 Marseille - France - Tel: + 33 442 77 46 00 - Fax: + 33 442 77 46 01 - E-mail : [email protected] - www.cleverdis.com
SARL capitalised at Euro 128,250 - VAT FR 95413604471 - RCS Marseille B 413 604 471
Publisher: Gérard Lefebvre, Publishing Director: Jean-Guy Bienfait, Managing Director: Jean-François Pieri, Editor-in-Chief: Richard Barnes, Art Director: Hélène Beunat, Design: Valentina Russo, Webmaster: Benjamin Ras.
With the participation of: Bettina Badon, Kristina Braun, Loretta Osiro, Marjorie Sanch, Monia Tazamoucht >>To contact them: first name.last [email protected]
• Printing: Imprimerie Toscane, Nice, France • On cover: © Accor Group • Registration of Copyright June 2014 • ISSN 2110-8676
Information presented in this publication is purely indicative in order to illustrate subjects contained therein. No guarantee can be given as to the accuracy of data or content at time of printing and thus the latter should not be used to professional or commercial ends. While all efforts have
been made as to accuracy and pertinence of content and data contained in this publication, CLEVERDIS may in no case be held responsible for the consequences, whatever their nature may be, that may result from the interpretation of this data or content, or any eventual errors therein. All
rights are reserved. Any reproduction of the content of this publication, even partial, by any procedure whatsoever, is strictly prohibited without the prior authorisation of the publisher. Any copy, whether by photography, photography film, magnetic tape, disc or other means constitutes a
forgery, liable to punishment under French law under the legislation of 11th March 1957 covering copyright. All brands cited in this publication are registered trade marks and/or belong to companies which are their respective proprietors. The publishers and editorial staff decline all responsibilty
as to opinions formulated in this publication by those interviewed or cited therein. Their opinions are entirely their own, and are included with the understanding that they contain, to our knowledge, no malicious intent. The inclusion of all texts, photographs and other documents supplied by
those included in the report imply the acceptance by their authors of their free publication therein. Documents and photgraphs are not returned. It should be understood that this publication contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. All statements
other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions include assumptions relating to the timing of the record date. If any of these risks or uncertainties materialises or any of these assumptions proves
incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the expectations outlined in these statements. Cleverdis assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements during the period of publication. Photo Credits and Copyright: All Rights Reserved
www.cleverhotel.org
Hotel & Tourism SMARTreport / Worldwide Edition N°22 / June - August 2014 7
SPECIAL FEATURE: HITEC
HITEC 2013
SPECIAL
FEATURE
HITEC
It’s That Time of The Year
HITEC comes back around punctuates – with an exclamation
mark – the sourcing process…
Cleverdis is proud to again be a supporter and
media partner of HITEC – the Hospitality Industry
Technology Exposition & Conference, produced by
HFTP.
HITEC is the world’s largest hospitality technology
exposition and conference, offering attendees a
one-stop shop for essential education, access
to experts and hospitality technology vendors,
networking with top
leaders in the industry
and the resources to
find cost-effective ways
to improve company
bottom lines.
HITEC serves as a
vehicle for distributing
the most innovative
products and services…
In 1972, twenty
years after the official
inception of HFTP,
the association’s forefathers recognized a growing
segment in the hospitality industry — technology.
They thus sponsored the first International Hospitality
Conference to provide a forum for promoting and
displaying the latest in hospitality technology.
www.cleverhotel.org
Technology in 1972 did not involve customer
relationship management applications, in-room
Internet or hand-held computers; but instead the
large hotels were looking into the first renditions of
front office property management systems, electronic
cash registers and point-of-sale systems.
Today HITEC is a well-known event with over 5,000
attendees and hundreds of companies. HITEC
serves as a vehicle for distributing the most innovative
products and services to the industry worldwide.
HITEC offers attendees a one-stop shop for essential
education, access to experts and hospitality
technology vendors, networking with top leaders
in the industry and the resources to find costeffective ways to improve company bottom lines. It
encourages networking, provides strong continuing
education opportunities and serves as an opportunity
to attend to association business.
HITEC 2014 is June 23 – 26, 2014
at the Los Angeles Convention Center
in Los Angeles, CA. USA.
Thought Leadership
in Hospitality
Mobile apps, signage, digital sales tools and
intelligence… they’re all part of HFTP HITEC in Los
Angeles
Frank
Wolfe
CEO of the organising body – HFTP
HITEC is the place to see and be seen if you are in the world of
hospitality technology. We asked Frank Wolfe, CEO of the organising
body – HFTP – why people flock to this “sold out” show from all
over the world…
It’s because the show has such a great
reputation! The HFTP HITEC educational
program is put together annually by a
“who’s who” of hospitality technology
power users from all types of operations…
brands, large and small hotel management
companies, allied industry associations,
and “one person shops”.
Many people come to make the final decision
on what to buy. We often see company
meetings where there are “shopping lists”
of items that IT departments have. These
groups visit booths with competing
products, come back together at the end
of the day, narrow the list, and follow the
same pattern the next day. Final decisions
on what to buy have also occurred at HITEC
on what supplier company will be bought
by another. This year's keynote speakers are
particularly interesting... Please tell us
a little more about them... The opening session on Monday will feature
Douglass Merill. Former CIO and vice
president of engineering at Google, Merrill
oversaw a team of 1,500, as well as all
aspects of technology and several high profile
projects, one of which, Google Checkout, is
now a multi-billion dollar business. He could
be described as informed, passionate and
brilliantly counter-intuitive… and he now
helps companies around the world learn
how to build their own sustainable cultures
We often see company
meetings where there
are “shopping lists”
of items that IT
departments have
of innovation. Merrill's latest project is
ZestFinance, a big data fuelled underwriting
and short-term loan service that provides
customers with an affordable alternative to
traditional payday loan companies.
The Tuesday, June 24 morning keynote
session will feature global thought leader,
Rachel Botsman. Botsman will explain
to attendees how the rapidly growing
collaborative economy is transforming
production, finance, education and
consumption. She has inspired a new
economy with her influential book
What's Mine is Yours: How Collaborative
Consumption Is Changing The Way We Live.
Botsman is the founder of Collaborative
Lab, the leading source of expertise for
companies and governments that want
to embrace the collaborative economy to
revolutionize business and society.
The Thursday closing keynote will focus on
corporate security with practical insights
into real work situations relevant to many
industries, presented by Eric O’Neill, former
FBI operative and “spy hunter”, subject of
the film ‘Breach.’ The session will teach
attendees the top 10 things they should
be doing to secure their company. After 25
years with the FBI, O’Neill now runs The
Georgetown Group, a security firm out of
Washington, DC. O’Neill will use stories
from his experiences as a security advisor,
attorney and an FBI ‘spy hunter” to provide
case examples. What are the main trends in the kinds of
exhibitors at the show?
Already in April, the HITEC exhibit floor was
sold out at 735 booths and had a waiting list
of more than 30. The biggest trends being
address on the show floor are • Mobile Apps
• Guest Response/Guest Satisfaction tools
• Tablets for POS – enclosures, security, etc
• Digital Signage
• Data/Credit Card Security
• Business Intelligence
About HFTP
HFTP is the global professional association
for financial and technology personnel
working in hotels, clubs and other hospitalityrelated businesses. HFTP provides first class
educational opportunities, research, and
publications to members around the globe
including, the premiere hospitality technology
conference HITEC.
For more information, visit the HFTP web site
at www.hftp.org
How Secure is YOUR Hotel’s Data?
HITEC Keynote speaker – Former FBI counterintelligence operative
Eric O’Neill has the inside line
Eric O’Neill
Former FBI counterintelligence operative
Eric O'Neill is the subject of Universal
Studios' feature film, Breach, as in
February 2001, he helped capture the
most notorious spy in United States
history, Robert Phillip Hanssen. He
lectures internationally about espionage
and national security, cybersecurity,
fraud, corporate diligence and defense,
hacking, pursuing ones dreams and
surviving Hollywood.
Eric has worked as an FBI
counterterrorism and counterintelligence
operative, a national security attorney
and as a corporate security consultant.
He founded The Georgetown Group, a
premier investigative and security
services firm.
The hotel and tourism industry is very vulnerable to outside hacking
and insider threat penetration. In fact, studies analyzing breach data
for 2012 have found that retailers and the hospitality industry are
easy targets for cyber-criminals, accounting for between 54 - 78%
of breaches. A keynote by Eric O’Neill at HFTP HITEC will focus on
the various threats to the hospitality industry, and key areas where
security can be improved to make information theft more difficult,
spot areas of weakness, develop incident response strategies, and
ensure that the wheels keep turning in the midst of a crisis. O’Neill
obviously has a personal interest in making hotels more secure. Like
billions of other travelers, he hands over his credit card every time
he checks-in. We asked Eric to tell us what kind of cyber-threats
he sees as being the most menacing for the hotel and tourism
industries…
The hospitality and tourism industries collect
a wide range of personally identifiable
information from customers, such as credit
and debit card numbers, security codes,
card expiration dates, home addresses and
license plate numbers, birth dates and other
personal information including, in some
cases, what side of the bed the guest sleeps
on. The information is a treasure trove for
hackers who will steal the information for
sale on the black market to identity thieves. Recent exploits have included malware
and password exploits to access customer
information at point-of-sale servers and
websites, and through outsourced third
party entities warehousing the data. Who might be the main players behind
such an attack and what would be their
motivations? Many of the remote cyber-attacks occur
from China or Russia, hotbeds of activity
for cyber espionage. However, the attacks
can occur internally, using a trusted insider
that has sold out, or by duping an employee
through social engineering or trickery. If
security protections are truly lax, the tried
www.cleverhotel.org
Criminals tend to
exploit the weakest
target – the one that
will bear the most
return and pose the
least risk
and true practice of “dumpster diving” – theft
of confidential information from the trash –
can result in theft of critical information.
Thieves are motivated to steal from the
hospitality industry by the promise of
obtaining critical personally identifiable
information that can easily be sold in large
batches through black market connections
to identity thieves. Criminals tend to exploit
the weakest target – the one that will bear
the most return and pose the least risk. The retail and hospitality industries are not
known for strength in security, and hackers
are aware of this fact. Hotel & Tourism SMARTreport / Worldwide Edition N°22 / June - August 2014 11
HITEC Schedule-at-a-Glance
MONDAY, JUNE 23, 2014
TUESDAY, JUNE 24, 2014
7:30 AM - 11:30 AM
CHAE and CHTP Reviews
8:30 AM - 11:00 AM PCI Boot Camp 3.0 - R U Ready?
8:30 AM - 11:00 AM Building and Renovating a Better Tech Hotel Boot Camp
11:30 AM - 1:00 PM Super Session: Cloud Computing 101 and Beyond
11:30 AM - 1:00 PM Super Session: Disaster Simulation
11:30 AM - 1:00 PM Super Session: How to Manage a Vendor
12:30 PM - 4:30 PM CHAE and CHTP Exams
1:30 PM - 3:30 PM
System Selection Boot Camp
1:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Project Management Boot Camp
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Professional Ethics
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Wi-Fi Town Hall
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Contract Review for IT
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Corporate Mobility Trends
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
PCI-DSS 2.0 to PCI-DSS 3.0: What's in a Number!?
3:45 PM - 5:00 PM
Opening Keynote Session: Place Your Security Efforts
Toward the Real Risks – Douglas Merrill, Former
Google CIO
6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Opening Party: The Belasco Theater
8:30 AM - 10:00 AM Keynote Session: The Collaborative Economy - Rachel
Botsman, Social Innovator
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM Exhibits
10:30 AM - 2:45 PM EXHIBITOR TUTORIALS
10:30 - 11:00 AM
11:15 - 11:45 AM
2:00 - 12:30 PM
12:45 - 1:15 PM
1:30 - 2:00 PM 2:15 - 2:45 PM Passive Optical Networks in Hospitality by Vision
Technologies
PCI vs. PII... and Why You Need to Know!
by Venza Group, Inc.
The Ins and Outs of eProcurement by ReactorNet
Technologies
What Dangers are Lurking in Your Hotel's
Spreadsheets? by Evention LLC
Revenue Optimization and Profitability by Rainmaker
Data to Information to Dashboards by Datavision
Technologies
4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Super Session: Mobility & Your Guests
4:00 PM - 5:30 PMSuper Session: Distribution and Disruption:
The New Normal in Hospitality
HITEC 2013
HITEC 2013
HITEC 2013
© Philips
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25, 2014
8:30 AM - 10:00 AM
8:30 AM - 10:00 AM
8:30 AM - 10:00 AM
10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
S uper Session: TechTours – Up-close Look at What's
on the Market
Super Session: Search, Social, Mobile: The Challenges
of Managing Customer Acquisition & Pricing
Super Session: Guestroom Technology What Do Guests
REALLY Want & What Should They Want
Exhibits
10:30 AM - 2:45 PM EXHIBITOR TUTORIALS
10:30 - 11:00 AM Cure Your Insomnia with Workforce Management
by Kronos
11:15 - 11:45 AMBridging the Offline and Online Worlds by Clairvoyix
12:00 - 12:30 PM
Guestroom Energy Management by Verdant
Environmental Technologies
12:45 - 1:15 PMeSignatures & PCI Compliant Payments to
Close Business Faster by Sertifi
1:30 - 2:00 PMGateway to the Future of Hospitality by 360Leo
2:15 - 2:45 PM
The Future of Push to Talk Communication
for Mobile Workforces by Voxer
2:45 PM - 3:45 PM
PII/Data Protection: How Far Does the Data Reach?
2:45 PM - 3:45 PM
Getting to Know Your Future Employees
- The NextGen Professional
2:45 PM - 3:45 PM
Managing BYOD In Your Coporate Environment
2:45 PM - 3:45 PM
Reputation Management - To Be or Not to Be (In Control)
2:45 PM - 3:45 PM
Bandwidth-Is Enough Ever Enough?
4:15 PM - 5:15 PM
Birds of a Feather
4:15 PM - 5:15 PM Leveraging BYOD, Empowering Your Guest and Yielding
Guest Behavior
4:15 PM - 5:15 PM
DRM in the Cloud - A New Approach to Diaster Recovery
4:15 PM - 5:15 PM
Pitching Your Project
4:15 PM - 5:15 PM Career Path Methodology
THURSDAY, JUNE 26, 2014
9:00 AM - 10:30 AM Super Session: CIO vs. CMO
9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM 3:15 PM - 4:30 PM
S uper Session: Big Data: Making it Work for Hotels
AND Guests
Exhibits
Super Session: Non-Techies Town Hall Meeting
Super Session: Futuristic Technology
Closing Keynote: Corporate Security: The Top 10 Things
You Should Be Doing to Secure Your Company - Eric
O'Neill, Former FBI Operative
*Please note speakers and schedule are
subject to change without notice.
www.cleverhotel.org
When ROI
is Important
Philips New Hospitality TVs
do more than just deliver great
entertainment
Philips has announced a new hospitality TV range
packed with features that deliver cost efficient
installation and management tools and offer
opportunities to create additional revenues to
ensure the lowest possible total cost of ownership.
NEXT GENERATION OF PHILIPS
HOSPITALITY TVs FEATURE
INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS GEARED
TO HOTELIERS’ AND GUESTS’
NEEDS…
The four latest ranges of Philips
hospitality TVs reflect TP Vision’s
experience, gained from 30
years of hospitality industry
leadership. These Innovative
TVs are built around “impactful
control” with connectivity
features and low total cost
of ownership. This, added to
an easy to use User Interface
including SmartInfo allowing for
hotel promotions and countless
other added value features,
along with remote maintenance
and set up, vastly reducing
installation and updating time for
hoteliers, makes these new TVs
a “must have”.
The broad new line-up of Philips
Studio, Philips EasySuite,
Philips MediaSuite and Philips
Signature suit any hotel from
budget hostels to design hotels
and luxury hotels, from small,
family-owned guesthouses to
large international chains, and
also from cruise ships over
hospitals to elderly homes.
SUSTAINABLE TVs TO SUPPORT
HOTELS’ SMALL ECOLOGICAL
FOOTPRINT
Thanks to the latest LED
backlight technology Philips
latest range of Hospitality TVs
ensure the lowest possible power
consumption and minimised use
of environmentally hazardous
substances. All new Philips
hospitality TVs have qualified for
energy labels class A, A+ or A++.
When Technology is Part
Spotlight on hotel tycoon Petter Stordalen – and his © Tord-Erik Andresen
Through his company Nordic Choice Hotels, the flamboyant
billionaire, environmentalist and philanthropist Petter Stordalen
owns in excess of 170 hotels and employs more than 12,000
people. For him, running hotels is a passion, and caring for the
environment – and his people – is a mission. Much of this is
made possible by more intelligent use of technologies.
Petter
Stordalen
Owner & CEO Nordic Choice Hotels
Nordic Choice Hotels is one of the largest
hotel groups in the Nordics. Its chains
include Comfort, Quality Hotels, Quality
Resort, Clarion Collection, Clarion, and
within Nordic Hotels & Resorts there are
9 unique hotels. A stunning flagship hotel
The Thief opened early in 2013, and is
today broadly cited in European industry
circles for its prize-winning sustainable
design and construction. All hotels are
environmentally certified ISO 14001.
ERP – or Enterprise Resource Planning
– has been at the heart of Petter
Stordalen’s activities for many years,
as the efficiencies created are not only
good for business and for customers,
but also for local communities and the
planet.
Many people have been asleep and
have not seen this coming. They are
unable to capitalize on the new
opportunities
Already four years ago at a conference
in Las Vegas, he underlined the fact that
the tourism industry was hurtling at full
speed ahead through a storm spurred
on by new digital communication
forms, constantly picking up pace.
“There’s a big wave of opportunities”,
said Stordalen. “These opportunities
are larger and more defining than ever
before for our industry. Many people
have been asleep and have not seen this
coming. They are unable to capitalize on
the new opportunities. They have played
safe all the way, but now the rules have
changed.”
This paradigm change, says Stordalen,
paved the way for Cenium, a new player
from Scandinavia, to enter the playing
field. “Cenium is serving everything from
hotel booking to the management of
salaries, loyalty programs, staffing needs,
meetings and restaurant operations. But
the potential is even greater. The system
is a unique tool for a robust customer
strategy. With Cenium, we can develop
a 360-degree platform – a single point
of contact with the customer”, said the
Nordic Choice Hotels owner.
With Nordic Choice’s mix of business,
resort and leisure properties, it was
evident that using disparate “best of
breed” software for different functions
and activities across the different brands
would be difficult – if not impossible –
to do effectively. Stordalen thus made
Cenium a core part of his business,
having realized that his company could
not deliver the kinds of services and
business initiatives he wanted without
an agile platform such as that offered by
this platform. Over the past few years,
Stordalen has been happy to share what
of Something “Bigger”
“Strawberry Philosophy”
Clarion Hotel Arlanda
began as one of his best-kept secrets, as
Cenium is spreading to some of the world's
largest hotel companies. “Cenium can help
take the industry a step further”, he said.
“Its development has not been risk-free,
but in Nordic Choice we are not averse to
taking some risks. The alternative can be
a lot worse!” Innovation has indeed long
been at the heart of Nordic Choice, as the
group was among the very first to deploy
mobile and RFID access and has been a
forerunner in environmental friendliness.
Outside his hotel business, Stordalen
also runs a number of shopping malls,
and true to his ERP philosophy, his entire
business runs on Microsoft Dynamics with
components that have developed within
the platform.
PEOPLE, PLANET, PROFIT – AT
THE HEART OF STRAWBERRY
PHILOSOPHY
Stordalen affirms that the best advice he
ever received came from his father when
he was a lad, trying to sell strawberries in
the local market. He looked at the other
www.cleverhotel.org
sellers’ strawberries and they all looked
so much better than his own. He went
home and told his father that he needed
new strawberries that were bigger, more
colorful and much sweeter. His father
looked at him and said, “Petter, sell the
berries you have, because they are the
only ones you have”. He thus learned the
importance on focusing on what you have
and to make the most of it. In other words,
“Don’t wish you were someone else or
worked somewhere else. That’s a waste
of energy… concentrate on your own skills
and capabilities, not your limitations”.
He consequently went from being cited in
1974 as Norway’s “best local strawberry
seller” to becoming one of Scandinavia’s
most successful businesspeople with
an estimated personal net worth of $1.5
billion.
“The Strawberry Philosophy can help any
company to outperform the competition,”
says Stordalen. “Innovation comes through
passion. Passion flourishes only when you
believe in yourself and your company.”
Stordalen looks for three key values:
“energy, courage and excitement”. “Those
are the qualities that I look for in people,”
Clarion Hotel Post - Rooftop Suite
…concentrate on
your own skills
and capabilities,
not your
limitations
he says. “Our main sources of creativity
are all the bright and motivated people
within the company. Together they make
the difference when they manage to focus
on their own personal skills and talents.
When they can channel their focus on a
few things, they will not lose the energy
and passion to bring what is at first sight
a simple idea to fruition as an incremental
value-adding innovation for the customer.
The aim of Cenium's ERP solution is to
leverage the passion found in our people
and enable a commitment to service and a
world class guest experience."
SMARTreport commercial content
Seamless Cross-Platform
Today, it’s possible, according to Trygve Ronningen – CEO
Trygve
Ronningen
CEO - Cenium
More than 20 years of selling, implementing,
training and supporting one of the market's top
5 ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) solutions,
IFS Applications. 4 years heading up Americas
Services team in successful deployments of
leading Enterprise Search Solutions, FAST/
Microsoft. Cenium AS CEO since 2011.
Master of Business Economics, Norwegian
School of Management, Oslo.
With over 20 years’ experience in diverse Enterprise Resource
Planning rolls across Europe and North America, Trygve Ronningen,
CEO of Cenium, has a unique perspective of how ERP can be
applied to the hospitality sector. We asked Mr Ronningen why ERP
is still such an eye opener for hoteliers…
When we talk to hoteliers about an all-inone solution that combines ERP technology
to support all core hospitality processes,
they are amazed about the breadth and
depth of the capabilities we can offer in one
single solution. ERP has been around for
quite some time in a number of industries,
so it's a mature international standard
for handling all business needs within
finance, asset-management, inventory
procurement management, project
management and human resources.
Today, many hoteliers are finding the need
to call upon a multitude – sometimes up
to 20 – best-in-breed solutions to cover
all business areas. These can be replaced
with an all-in-one solution from Cenium.
There are a number of hidden interface
costs related to having disparate solutions
and hotel IT departments need to spend a
great deal of the time just making sure they
actually work together. Then in the case of
upgrades, new rounds of rigorous testing
are required, ensuring these subsystems
still communicate effectively with one
other, if indeed they are integrated at all!
When your company started out twelve
years ago, it quickly became the
“backbone” of a major Scandinavian
chain. Tell us more about this.
Nordic Choice hotels were expanding
rapidly in Scandinavia, and as they acquired
new properties, each one came with a new
set of best of breed solutions. Each had
its own IT infrastructure and IT department
and there was very little synergy between
them. The management of Nordic Choice
realized that a unique User Interface would
vastly increase efficiencies, and thus came
the solution by Cenium. One database
allowed consolidation of data across
different functions and different properties
in a much more efficient manner.
Who are some of the main clients
today and how are they leveraging the
solution?
Nordic Choice is a major franchiser with
five different brands with over 170 hotels
and total capacity of around 50,000
rooms. They have 12,000 employees and
host close to 8 million guests annually. It's
an interesting opportunity for us because
the group spans business, conference and
resort markets. Then there’s the Grand
Ho Tram Strip in Vietnam – a full service
establishment with a complex casino
Integration
– Cenium
environment, or Blue Mountain - a resort
destination which is again full-service, and
where Cenium also handles ticketing, ski
rentals and lessons. We have a worldwide
network of partners working with our
teams in most regions of the world. The
platform’s multi-language and multicurrency functionality is critical for hoteliers
looking to grow their brand internationally.
What’s changing when it comes to the
Microsoft platform?
The Cenium product utilizes the Microsoft
NAV platform, but it is just one element.
Microsoft's platform is well tailored to the
size of the opportunities we have been
working with. We have also introduced
the Dynamics AX platform with our latest
release. This suits larger operations that
need the capabilities of an even more
comprehensive feature-set such as AX
can give.
The new release with the NAV platform
carries with it a totally different user
interface. People today are accustomed
to iPads and iPhones, and the new look
and feel of the Dynamics platform really
is appealing to that kind of user. They
have also introduced a multi-platform
architecture, which allows more options for
deployment models: not only on-premise
platforms, but also cloud deployments
or a hybrid of both models. The platform
allows us to have even stronger integration
with other Microsoft technologies, such
as SharePoint for storage of data and
documents, or Office 365, a cloud-based
solution. There are also reporting tools and
document management integrated into
this new solution. So overall, the combined
solution is more than just NAV. We have the
new capabilities of NAV and AX, plus the
new aspects that this architecture allows
Cenium to deliver, depending how they’re
deployed.
www.cleverhotel.org
What do you see as being the future of
hospitality ERP?
I believe our focus on the all-in-one goal
is going to be more of a driving decisionmaking element in the future, because
people will look at how to save costs in all
the integration work they have to do today.
I also believe that this future generation
of hospitality technology will need to
have a more innovative User Interface
and seamless mobile device integration.
With this new release we have a secondgeneration of mobility and a uniquely
(…) our customers
are amazed about
the breadth and
depth of the
capabilities we can
offer in one single
solution
Cenium Europe Team in front of HQ in Oslo
different User Interface experience. Easeof-use across platforms is important, but
being able to do that on a single solution is
where the hospitality market is going.
We are of course also considering
alternative deployment models, looking at
how we can leverage cloud technologies
to rapidly deploy around the world.
Cenium will take technology and the user
experience to a new level.
Contact
Europe HQ - Cenium AS
Drammensveien 123 - 0277 Oslo - Norway
Tel: +47 920 48 320
Americas HQ
Cenium North America Inc.
9555 Hillwood Dr. Suite 110,
Las Vegas, NV 89134, USA
Tel: +1 877 623 6486
www.cenium.com
Face to Face
Tim Brown, SVP eCommerce, MICROS and Jason Jefferys, CEO
talk about their new partnership and what it means for you, the
In late 2013, MICROS and
iRiS announced a new global
partnership that aims to change
the face of hotel and F&B
technology use. This year, in all
regions of the globe, this joining
of forces has been helping
hoteliers and restaurateurs add
new value to their offering.
Tim Brown
Jason Jefferys
Senior Vice President, MICROS eCommerce,
Europe, Africa & Middle East
CEO and co-founder
of iRiS Software Systems
Tim joined MICROS-Fidelio in 1995 and has
been instrumental in driving the company’s POS
solutions into several pan-European accounts
including Starbucks, Pizza Hut, Burger King
and wagamama. With the introduction of the
eCommerce framework mycentral, Tim has
been working on MICROS’ eCommerce strategy
helping to deliver next generation solutions to
the industry. He studied Hotel Management at
Bournemouth University in the UK and Computer
Science at the Open University, UK.
Jason founded iRiS Software Systems in 2006
and has successfully positioned the company
as a global leader in hospitality technology.
His vision for providing hotel guests with an
interactive mobile experience, enabling them
to explore, book and discover all of a hotel's
facilities in any language, has set iRiS apart as
a pioneer in the industry. Prior to iRiS, Jason
was at the helm of a leading digital advertising
agency as Managing Director of J2.
Contact
MICROS-FIDELIO GmbH
Europadamm 2 - 6 41460 Neuss,
Germany
Phone +49 2131 137 - 0
[email protected]
micros-fidelio.eu
Contact
iRiS Software Systems
1st Floor, 35 Heddon Street
London W1B 4BR, United Kingdom
Phone: +44 20 7099 9242
Email: [email protected]
iris.net
We spoke to Tim Brown, SVP
eCommerce at MICROS and
iRiS CEO and co-founder Jason
Jefferys about this important
new partnership, as well as
what we will be able to find at
their booths at HITEC in Los
Angeles. We asked Jason
Jefferys to tell us more about
the partnership…
JJ: Following extensive due diligence,
MICROS selected iRiS as their global
partner for guest facing apps. Together
as industry leaders, iRiS and MICROS
offer the perfect mix of technologies to
provide the global hotel market with an
unrivalled end-to-end guest experience
with innovations in advanced check-in,
loyalty and e-commerce. This partnership
means that our products will be available
on a much larger scale. We are very proud
of this endorsement as this really cements
our position as the leading provider of
guest-facing applications. We now have
a unique offering - a holistic solution with
seamless integrations.
and co-founder of iRiS Software Systems
hotelier…
Together as industry
leaders, we offer
the perfect mix of
technologies to provide
the global hotel market
an unrivalled end-toend guest experience
Why do does the industry need apps
and what are the benefits?
JJ: Guests are demanding mobile
technology. Research by Magnani Caruso
Dutton suggests that more than 70% of
guests want hotels to proactively enhance
their stay in innovative ways. Consequently,
guest-facing apps are proven to increase
revenue, reduce costs and improve the
guest experience. We regularly see revenue
increases of in-room ordering of around
40%. Mobile apps in use across the hotel
industry today provide guests with ondemand services at the touch of a screen.
What about on the hotel side?
JJ: Apps enable hoteliers to communicate
more effectively with global travellers. They
enable hoteliers to increase their share of
wallet, as guests spend more on property
when the hotel helps them understand
what is available. Furthermore, hoteliers
can track more information about guest
usage and enable guests to tell the hotel
more about their preferences.
TB: Exactly. The consolidation of
information, services and controls into one
app offers convenience, simplicity and
www.cleverhotel.org
the ability to transact without the need
to pick up a phone, read a menu or sift
through pages of irrelevant data. Tim, who came up with the partnership
idea and why?
TB: Jason and I put the partnership
together because iRiS has great guestfacing technology and we have the backend and the bridge. We decided to join
forces to come up with the best of breed
guest-facing technology to offer to our
existing customers as well as new ones – in
the hotel business as well as F&B.
What did iRiS contribute and what did
MICROS contribute?
TB: iRiS had the hospitality apps and they
have interfaces to many third parties. We
have enhanced those interfaces to make
them even more bi-directional – resulting
in an unrivalled guest experience. Rather
than just pushing information, the ability of
the customer to send information into the
system enables the hotel to vastly improve
service levels. This can be in the area of
room service orders, ensuring items are in
stock and can be delivered, reservations,
check-in and check-out and concierge
services. Through our reseller agreement
with iRiS, we bundle all this together with
our commerce platform and offer it as the
guest-facing technology. A hotelier using
OPERA for example has only to go to one
provider – MICROS – and we can provide
them with the iRiS application connected
directly into our OPERA system.
Jason, you’re recognised as one of the
leading innovators in the hospitality
industry. How has your suite of apps
evolved since we last spoke?
JJ: Our strategy has always been to
develop products that enhance the
guest journey and improve their overall
experience. Since HITEC last year, we
have built on this by creating the iRiS
Guest Experience Platform (GXP), the core
technology that drives all our apps. The GXP
is the real value of what we provide and it
enables guests to interact with hotels and
restaurants in ways never before imagined.
All our apps connect centrally to the GXP,
allowing hotels to manage everything from
content and integrations to their suite of
iRiS apps, all from one place and through
a single CMS. We’ve also added a number
of new apps to our portfolio in the past
12 months including our Delegate app for
conferences and events, F&B Mobile, F&B
Connect and iRiS Web Valet.
Many people today
cannot remember not
having technology in
their hand
How does all this help hoteliers generate
more revenue?
TB: Many people today cannot remember
not having technology in their hand. It
means that more hoteliers can offer direct
to their own consumers rather than going
through third party online travel agents.
You can better target your customers,
enhance loyalty programs, and room
service average spend goes up, as the
consumer is in charge of the ordering
process. There are also intangible benefits
in terms of having a fully integrated system
where you do not have to duplicate data
entry or content. We are working together
to make it seamless between the two
applications.
© Sofitel So Bangkok
Sofitel So Bangkok, Thailand
ARCHITECTURE
& EQUIPMENT
Research over the past few years has blown previous preconceptions on
bathroom usage out the window! Topping the list of comfort wants and
needs are two items: the bed and the bathroom.
Hotel Guest Bathrooms
Trends, ideas and secrets to ensure the ultimate guest
experience
No longer can the bathroom be a vague
afterthought when designing a new hotel or
planning a rebuild. Even in budget hotels, the
comfort level of the bathroom will be a true
deciding factor – differentiating your property from
the others. Indeed, while maximum space had
been dedicated to the room itself and bathrooms
kept as “functional” as possible, it has been
discovered that most guests
will accept a slightly smaller
room (with a bigger bed) –
as long as the bathroom is
roomy, light and comfortable.
Purchasing for bathrooms
is of course a complex
issue, involving accessories,
hardware, baths, bidets,
mirrors, showers, sinks,
vanities, plumbing, taps/
faucets, towel rails and even whirlpools.
Guests want controls that are easy to understand.
In other words, if they want water at 38°C, they
turn a button and it’s at the right temperature. If
they want to swap from the douche to the rain
shower, there again it has to be simple and easy
to understand. Today, there is a great deal of twoway work done between top hotel groups and
When new function
meets new design,
that’s when real
innovation occurs.
www.cleverhotel.org
the manufacturers to find the right ergonomics.
Top suppliers cited by the Accor group
include Grohe, who have developed a
shower system called Grohtherm - a wireless
digital remote controller with temperature
and flow control; Hansgrohe, who have
developed a douchette that can also act
as a rain shower - very useful in economy
hotels. Meanwhile a small French supplier,
Mingori, develops made-to-measure solutions.
Efficient lighting is another essential element.
“Efficient” has been defined by Accor group
expert Jacques Bolze (see interview next pages)
as that which, when a woman is doing her makeup in the morning, doesn’t “betray” her when
she walks out the door! Most bathrooms have
overhead spotlights, and secondary lighting over
the mirror. The two sources are often antagonistic
and depending whether the lights are warm or
cold, the result can be catastrophic. Accor for its
part has developed a solution just like an artiste’s
mirror in a dressing room, inspired by the key
principles of the professional word of make-up.
All in all, the bathroom becomes a mini universe
unto itself, and makes a world of difference
to the guest experience. Get it wrong and
you will pay the price – in the social media!
Hotel Bathrooms…
What Guests Want
Accor group expert Jacques Bolze explains how to avoid being
“all wet” when designing new facilities
Jacques Bolze is Director of Product Solutions and Standards for
the Accor Group, and in this role, he is in charge of the conception
and the technical translation of all products used in the equipping
of a hotel. He explains what’s important today when choosing
bathroom equipment…
Jacques Bolze
Director of Product Solutions
and Standards for the Accor Group
At the age of 52, Jacques Bolze has
a somewhat atypical educational
background, which has given him
a unique perspective on his work,
graduating with diplomas in aeronautical
mechanical engineering on the one hand
and hotel management on the other.
Jacques has been with the Accor group
for 27 years, and has, over time been
product manager, project manager and
director of energy. Today he is director of
product solutions and standards.
The hotel bathroom is extremely technical
and complex, with an average lifetime (in
the Accor group) of 15 years – twice the
lifetime of a guestroom. In a small bathroom
there are three simple closed functions: toilet, shower and sink. If we take the sink for
example, we need to look at the dimensions
and surface, which must be cleaned easily
in a set number of seconds, in a material
that will be resistant to a certain number of
mechanical and chemical aggressions. The
design of the sink has to transpire modernity and hygiene. The edges should be
rounded so that a sponge can easily clean
them. When choosing, suppliers may come
up with their own hints and ideas, and it
will be the sum of all these aspects that will
help us decide the successful supplier.
How important is sustainability when
choosing equipment?
It’s fundamental. The Accor group
consumes the equivalent in water to a city
the size of Strasbourg: 4.5 million cubic
metres. So water saving is a fundamental
issue. For years already, all our taps have
been equipped with flow regulators. I insist
on the term regulator, because these are
not simply limiters.
What’s important going forward?
Clients want hygiene, modernity, simplicity
and comfort; those are the four key words.
In a shower, the number one issue is that of
www.cleverhotel.org
When choosing,
suppliers may come
up with their own
hints and ideas, (…) that will
help us decide the
successful supplier.
joints; because they require maintenance,
retain dirt and may be a source of leakage.
On the other hand we have to retain products that are familiar for the guest, so resolving this puzzle of how to get rid of joints,
while using traditional materials, is a major
preoccupation. Another trend is a return
to the “closed” bathroom rather than open
models. There has in recent years been a
big swing to bathrooms that opened onto
the bedroom, thus adding light and space.
However, now there is a demand to return
to the closed model – isolated from the bedroom. We are nevertheless trying to find
ways to bring more light into the bathroom,
because this was very much appreciated.
BUYERS' GUIDE
SHOWER & BATH THERMOSTATS
STATE OF PLAY
Of all the equipment installed
in modern hotel guest
bathrooms, one of the most
important is the shower/
bath thermostat. There is a
clear trend towards hi-tech
thermostats, especially given
the fact that many hotels
in Europe are forced to set
their hot water systems to
60°C in order to reduce the
risk of Legionnaire’s disease,
meaning the consequent risk
of scalding is high if the right
equipment is not installed.
Thermostats take away any
risk of a guest leaning against
or bumping an “old style”
single-handle (hot to cold)
“mixing valve” and being
scalded or frozen!
THE FUTURE
The hotel bathroom is
becoming much more
than a place where one
washes oneself. In the
future, this trend will be
projected in such a way
that hotels failing to
come up with new ideas
will trail behind those
that are up with the
times. The future will see
an increasing number of
“all digital” bathrooms
with lights, water,
heating, etc controlled
remotely.
www.cleverhotel.org
KEY SELLING POINTS
TECHNOLOGY
Hi-tech cartridge
For years of trouble-free
use, it is essential for the
cartridge to be up to the job.
For example, a Teflon-coated
copper cartridge means
very smooth performance,
and can allow a unit to be
used for many years before
changing. Temperature
control is more gradual and
precise.
Digital controls
For a “wow” experience
for your guests… In other
parts of the hotel, digital
technology takes precedence,
so why not in your guest
bathroom too? Digital taps
and showers bring a new
level of user comfort.
Hi-Tech Chrome
New ways of coating parts,
such as physical vapour
deposition (PVD) or chemical
vapour deposition (CVD)
result in longer wearing
equipment, which is scratch
resistant and visually more
attractive.
FEATURES
Ease of Cleaning
With an average of 18
minutes needed to clean
a guest room, surfaces
of all metallic bathroom
equipment should be
rounded and as smooth
as possible to enable
easy, fast cleaning (the
goes for everything in
the bathroom).
Cool Touch
No scalding on hot
surfaces thanks to new
multi-layer design. The
outside of the unit
remains cool to the
touch. This not only
means no possibility of
burning, but also no
lime scale.
Green
Select only equipment
that is lead-free (brass
often contains a large
amount of lead) and
consider water flow
regulators that deliver a
constant pressure (rather
than simple “limiters”).
DESIGN
Ergonomic shape and
design
A unit must be physically
easy to use, for adults and
children, even with soapy
hands. Do not select faucets
or thermostats without
taking into account the
shower surrounds, tiling, and
other bathroom equipment,
otherwise the visual result may
be disastrous.
Built-in
When designing bathrooms
for a new hotel build, consider
built-in shower thermostats.
This means choosing
equipment well upstream of
the bathroom build, as the
wall can only be finished after
the installation. The stunning
result however is worth the
extra thought.
Ease of Installation
When examining the design
of any bathroom equipment,
the time required for its
installation will be an essential
element in your decisionmaking process. Some
manufacturers claim up to
50% time saving in installation
thanks to clever design.
PRODUCT
GROHE COOLTOUCH
Safety first. No risk of scalding
yourself on a hot chrome
surface.
The child-friendly
solution.
© Accor
New York Times Square Novotel lobby
INNOVATIONS
& TECHNOLOGIES
When Only The Best
of Technology Will Do
Spearheading technology can be a big plus, but
it can also be a bit scary when it comes down
to testing ideas that one believes will work,
but can only be proven in real-life situations.
That’s why, from time to
time, hotel groups – and
suppliers – leverage a
particular property as
a showcase, due to its
high profile location or
background, and put
everything they can into
it on the one hand for the
“wow” factor, but on the
other as a life size test run.
This has recently been the
case in New York City with
the newly refitted Times
Square Novotel. In this issue we take a closer
look at the incredible job that’s been done on
rebuilding a hotel that was in sore need of a facelift,
… from time to time,
hotel groups – and
suppliers – leverage a
particular property as
a showcase, due to its
high profile location or
background
www.cleverhotel.org
into something that is now totally state of the art.
While some may look at the use of technologies
such as virtual concierge and electronic checkin as a taking away the human element of the
hotel welcome, numerous studies have found
that not only do such innovations streamline
processes, but they can be greatly appreciated
by guests, allowing staff to deal with more
complex one-on-one issues, avoiding the
lines that used to form at check-in and the
concierge. The possibility of face-to-face check
in or concierge services should nevertheless
remain as an alternative for those who prefer
the human touch all the way down the line.
Apart from the virtual concierge, breath
taking digital art works and touch tables in
the lobby, guest rooms also boast HBO on
their 46-inch HD LCD TVs, iPod docks are
included, and free High Speed Wi-Fi is available
throughout the premises. You can follow
the story in more detail on the next pages…
In The Field - with David Esseryk
The "inside line" on what's hot
in hospitality technologies
part 5
Mobile Technologies & Security
The New Hotel Key
– Your Smartphone
David Esseryk,
the Accor Group’s
Vice-President
Consumer Technology
is in charge of
guest-facing
technology for all
brands. In this issue's
regular report, he
looks at how hotels
can leverage mobile
technologies at
check-in and indeed
as a room key…
Remember checking in for flights at the airport,
or having to call an airline the night before to
confirm? Both used to be standard operating
procedures for travellers. Now, the entire airline
industry has become digitized and mobile
check-in is the norm. On par, hotel culture is
embracing tech developments and hotels are
vying for the forefront with new digital services.
Mobile-friendly consumers want connection,
convenience and comfort, and as such they
are demanding more self-service options that
incorporate mobile technologies into their hotel
stays. Indeed, it is often faster and easier to
engage in automated self-service than to wait
in a long line to interact with hotel staff at the
front desk.
For many hotel guests, self-service has become
an amenity, and there is no better way to meet
travellers’ demands for self-service than to
enable them to check into a hotel on their own
terms. Hotel security vendors are exploring
a variety of ways to employ emerging mobile
access technologies, such as Near Field
Communication (NFC), to convert mobile phones
and other devices into guestroom keys. Besides
being innovative, this advanced technology
provides added convenience and timesavings
by allowing guests to skip the traditional front
desk check-in process entirely, while easing
hotels' bottom lines through reduced staff
requirements.
Meanwhile, mobile hotel check-in is poised for
rapid expansion this year across the industry.
Marriott Hotels, for example, during the first half
of this year has been rolling out mobile checkin in all 500 of its hotels globally, for Marriott
Rewards members. Guests who are members
can check-in via the Marriott Mobile App from 4
pm on the day before arrival. Upon arrival, their
key card will be waiting for them at a designated
mobile check-in desk.
Hyatt Hotels and Resorts have a similar process
at select hotels, with kiosks available for
incoming guests to pick up their keys.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Aloft brand has
taken a slightly different approach at the nine
properties currently piloting the Smart CheckIn program. Guests receive an Aloft-branded
Starwood Preferred Guest Card and, on the day
of their arrival, receive a text message telling
them their room number. They can then head
straight to their room and use the SPG card as
their key.
Accor has announced the worldwide
implementation of a digital solution to offer
customers a personalized welcome. There
are four steps involved. Two days before their
hotel stay, guests are invited to check-in online.
On the arrival day, guests receive a welcome
message by SMS, confirming their room and
key are ready. When guests arrive at the hotel,
their key has been prepared and is handed over
immediately without the usual administrative
formalities. This means staff can be more
available to greet guests and cater to their
specific requests. When it comes to check out,
guests simply hand in their key and the invoice
is sent to them by email.
In this area, vendors in the hotel sector have,
in some cases, been ahead of those in the
consumer market… for once! This is true in the
case of OpenWays, who developed a proprietary
guestroom key consisting of sound impulses
via any mobile phone (not just smart phones).
This innovative concept is now spreading to
the broader residential market whith Okidokeys
brand.
See you again in the next edition
www.cleverhotel.org
SPECIAL DOSSIER
::::: NEW YORK TIMES SQUARE NOVOTEL :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
The Inside Line
Marc Sternagel – GM of the Times Square
Novotel on the hotel’s buyout and facelift
“Once I start talking about the incredible facelift of our hotel, I find
it hard to stop”, quips Marc Sternagel, HSMAI General Manager of
the Year – at the helm of the New York Times Square Novotel for
eight and a half years. We asked Mr Sternagel how it felt overseeing
this extraordinary, and somewhat bold transition …
It’s nice to see people coming into the
lobby and being wowed, because they
knew the hotel before, and the new hotel
is so different from other properties they
may have seen, it’s quite amazing. We are
challenging ourselves every day to do better
and to make sure the world understands
that there is something very unique here in
New York City. It is a great example of what
the brand can bring along.
The refurbishment came after the
property was sold by Accor, who retain
management of the property (with
you)… What was at the heart of the
brief?
New York Times Square Novotel, USA
www.cleverhotel.org
We wanted to reposition Novotel New York
as one of the flagship Novotels in the world,
firstly because we had a very prominent
destination and location, and also because
we believed with the exposure we have to
the world it would be very
important to showcase
the property. So as we
were offering the hotel for
sale with the condition we
remain the management
contract holder, there
were certain obligations
for the new ownership
group concerning the
upcoming renovations.
In terms of the room
product, we were very
closely tied into the
Novotel design. We
implemented the newest
generation of Novotel rooms, called the
“Next” room. In terms of public space,
the new owners were able to have more
influence on the design and they chose
Stonehill and Taylor for the concept. The
highlight is our Supernova Terrace. Our
lobby is on the seventh floor, surrounded
by a terrace with a stunning view over
Times Square. We created a special and
trendy space, but avoiding the possibility
of overcrowding and anonymity by creating
cabana-style niches on different levels. We
wanted to create an exceptional experience
for the people who come here to enjoy this
incredible view.
Marc
Sternagel
GM of the Times Square Novotel
We wanted to reposition
Novotel New York
as one of the flagship
Novotels in the world.
Why was it important to showcase the
latest technologies at the hotel such
as the Microsoft Surface Tables, the
Virtual Concierge and the Mac-Corner
described by David Esseryk?
Having a property at Times Square – a
place that’s electrified with the energy – it
was important to echo this in our property,
as people come here to be at the heart of
Times Square experience. In addition to
those things, also very dominant in the
lobby are our columns with 16 LED screens
running digital art works. It’s all part of totally
erasing the old Novotel and letting people
know this is something totally different.
Innovations & Technologies
SPECIAL DOSSIER
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: NEW YORK TIMES SQUARE NOVOTEL :::::
A New Dawn in the City
The Accor Group looks for a juicier slice of the big apple With the recent 85-million dollar renovation of the
Times Square Novotel in New York, David Esseryk
– VP Consumer Technology, Accor – was of course
at hand to ensure the technologies installed were
“cutting edge”. We asked David to give us an
overview…
This Novotel is our current
flagship as it really has
it all when it comes to
our latest technologies.
Novotel’s focus moving
forward is on keeping
guests
connected
t h ro u g h t e c h n o l o g y ;
being sustainable; and
making the brand “more
fun.” We have introduced
a virtual concierge, a
tablet-like screen on
the wall where guests
can find information and
new electronic check-in
and check-out systems
will soon also been
implemented.
David
Esseryk
VP Consumer Technology, Accor
Doesn’t this take the human aspect
out of the hotel welcome?
To the contrary… The objective
was simple: for digital technology to
offer customers an unprecedented
personalised welcome. What this means
is that there are fewer administrative
formalities, making the hotelier entirely
available to greet guests, cater for their
individual needs or simply help them
save time. In this way, digital technology
is at the service of our guests at every
stage of their hotel experience – before,
during and after their stay – adapting
hotel services to new modes of
consumption, which are more mobile
and connected… To understand this
better, one could draw a parallel with air
transport. A few years ago, you had to
joint a long line to check-in for a flight.
Today, you have your boarding pass on
your smartphone, and the airline ground
staff is able to advise and orient people
rather than simply checking them in. But
we are not insisting on an “only digital”
scenario… the guest still has the choice.
How does the Virtual Concierge add
value?
The Virtual Concierge was first launched
by Novotel in June 2013. On big
touch-screens in the lobby, guests can
browse information about the brand
and the hotel; they can also obtain
recommendations on places of interest
near the hotel (restaurants, museums,
etc.); practical information such as the
weather forecast and flight information,
and a host of other innovative services
including sending virtual postcards. The
system is multilingual; it is a featurerich, multi-region ecosystem that has
localised content and functionality far
superior to anything else on the market.
The system is now deployed in 60 hotels
in 13 countries. The ambition is to roll it
out in 1,000 hotels, or close to 30% of
the network, by the end of 2014.
What other innovations can we find at
the new Novotel?
The entire bar area at the hotel is
equipped Microsoft Surface tables,
loaded with information, games for adults
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
That Never Sleeps
thanks to its new-look Times Square Novotel
New York Times Square Novotel - bedroom
Primarily, we
base our decisions
on customer
demand, and one
of the main wants
today is for Wi-Fi
everywhere.
and kids. The fact that these tables are
interactive, and people thus all sit around
them facing each other, encourages open
social interaction, rather than previous
amusements, which were traditionally
practiced in isolation. The entire bar is
also a giant touch screen. Users can use
it to select their cocktails, play games or
look-up local information. In addition, as in
many Novotels, we have the Mac Corner,
with specific software developed for Accor
www.cleverhotel.org
that allows users to surf the Internet at their
leisure. Other upcoming wireless solutions
will include a system that will enable the
waiters in summertime not only to take
orders, but to also print the guest check
right at the table, eliminating the need to
run back and forth to the bar.
All door locks are RFID and users will soon
also be able to use their cell phones to
open the doors.
There is also an area for children, because
at Novotel, families are an important part
of our clientele; it’s one of the rare brands
in the world that dedicates an entire area
to children. The zone is next to the bar,
meaning parents can have a relaxed drink
and the children can play in the Xbox 360
area with gaming chairs and 46-inch HD
TVs for their amusement.
How do you decide what technologies
are going to be included?
Primarily, we base our decisions on
customer demand, and one of the main
wants today is for Wi-Fi everywhere. 53%
of today’s clients connect to Wi-Fi and
New York Times Square Novotel - Supernova
everyone wants it for free. 30 years ago,
guests wanted colour TV, but today, Wi-Fi
is even more important. I’m very proud to
say that 80% of our hotels today have free
high speed Internet… that’s almost 3,000
hotels. There are very few groups that can
boast that. We have 700 hotels that have
fibre optic connection today, including of
course the New York property. We have
no limitation on the number of devices
that can be connected per room, which
is important because people often travel
with a laptop, tablet and smartphone…
and if it’s a couple or a family, the number
of devices grows exponentially.
Contact
www.accor.com
www.accorhotels.com
SPECIAL DOSSIER
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: NEW YORK TIMES SQUARE NOVOTEL :::::
Enhancing The Local Experience
The future of guest information services is here today – facilitating
life for even the most demanding business guest
Marcus Robinson is CEO (Chief EXPERIENCE Officer) at Monscierge,
a company that was spawned on the belief that travellers –
particularly business travellers – wanted to get easier access to
local recommendations on where to go, what to eat and what to do
during their stay. We asked Marcus how the Times Square Novotel is
leveraging this service as a “Virtual Concierge”.
Marcus
Robinson
CEO (Chief EXPERIENCE Officer) at
Monscierge
With over 15 years of experience in
the American, European and South
African telecom and software industries,
Robinson is a veteran international
business executive. During his tenure
abroad, Robinson was the Managing
Director for multiple companies, including
Amcat EMEA and UK Digital. Since his
return to the United States, Robinson
has founded two other successful
organizations.
Contact
Monscierge
116 E. Sheridan Ave
Suite 210
Oklahoma City
OK 73104, USA
www.monscierge.com
Novotel liked what we were about
philosophically, but they wanted to make it
look and feel their own; they wanted to make
it unique for their guests. They had already
spoken to other people in the marketplace and
estimated what it would take to develop this
type of technology before they came across
Monscierge. David Esseryk then discovered
that Monscierge was able to do what he was
looking for 10 times faster than anybody else,
making it unique, specifically for Novotel.
Today, the Novotel Virtual Concierge has its
own unique look and feel. Because of our
framework, which is cloud-based, and upon
which we have invested heavily, we have been
able to provide this technology in a fraction of
the time it would have taken otherwise and at
an even smaller fraction of the cost!
How important is it for a hotel to have a
service like this today - especially if you're
in a place like New York?
Providing information is critical and is becoming
more critical as time goes on. It's evolving
faster than people fully appreciate. People
just want to know what's good; they want
recommendations. When you ask a friend to
recommend a good restaurant in town, they
give you the top two or three very quickly.
They don't tell you about the bad ones or the
unfortunate lukewarm soup they may have had
at a good restaurant. That's not what we’re
trying to accomplish with our system; this is not
a review site like Trip Advisor and it’s not there
to give you every nuance and detail. We simply
get locals to tell you the best places to go.
Providing
information is
critical and is
becoming more
critical as time goes
on. It's evolving
faster than people
fully appreciate.
Does the system allow focused profiling
so that when people come back it will
remember them?
Yes, the guests have the option of entering
information about themselves, on what they
prefer to do and what kind of food they like,
and we have been working with Intel and
Microsoft on building algorithms to predict
likes and wants for future visits, giving
recommendations for something that might
appeal to the guest. As more and more
people become comfortable entering their
preferences when they travel, predictions will
also become more precise, based on other
users in the area that may have a similar
profile, saying what they like.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Novotel Web Corner V3 Gets
Thumbs Up in NYC
The third generation of Novotel’s Web Corner – powered by Passman – rolls out
in New York at the Novotel.
In 2007, Novotel was the first brand of
Accor to consult French-based Passman
to design a web corner. Frederic Levy, the
company’s general manager, says well over
500 web corners have since been installed
for Novotel in 45 countries; proof that
Accor is pleased with the result. Every day,
20 users on average surf on each Novotel
Web corner on a Mac. This represents
more than 670,000 connections with a
96% user satisfaction.
NEW INTERFACE EVEN EASIER
AND MORE CONVENIENT
The new version’s user interface is even
more ergonomic. “We have revised the
presentation page and the links that are
available for the guests in such a way for
it to be simple, practical and useful,” says
Frederic Levy. “They have easy access to
the most important information such
as plane times, direct links to search
engines, message services and to the
exclusive e-video application, which
allows guests to record and send
video to their contacts.” Security is
a major element of concern. “The
average user stays connected 13
minutes,” says Levy. “And when they
terminate their session, everything
they have done is erased in such a
way that the next person has no way
to trace where they have been online.”
SERVICE AS ADDED VALUE
Novotel wisely decided to keep the
service free as added value for its guests.
The brand however uses the platform
for promotions concerning hotels and
partners. The opportunities are endless.
New York Time
Square Novotel Terrace
www.cleverhotel.org
BUYERS' GUIDE
INTERACTIVE TV SYSTEMS
STATE
OF PLAY
In the past, VoD was
a money-spinner for
hoteliers. Today, we all
know that this business
model has changed. The
guest wants at least the
same kind of technology
that they have at home,
and today many have
smart TVs. However the
“typical” smart TV doesn’t
work per se in a hotel
environment, but should
be adapted to its setting,
allowing the guest to
find the information and
services available at and
around the hotel with the
greatest of ease. This can
and should be part of a
new business model for
the hotelier.
KEY SELLING POINTS
TECHNOLOGY
IP Box
The use of IP Set-Top Boxes means
you don’t have to change all your
TVs in order to have the latest in
Smart TV from the cloud. Whereas
before a “head-end” was required
in each property, this enables you
to slim down the system and have
direct access to the latest services
and programs.
Support for different cable
systems
It may be important for a system to
be compatible with various systems
if you have a number of hotels of
varying ages and technical states.
Coax, Cat 5 and combined coax
and Cat 5 environments should all
be supported. t
Guest Device InterfaceThe
system should enable the wireless
connection of a guest’s own device
in order to watch their content on
the big screen.
FUNCTIONS
Communicating a
hotel’s brand and services
Targeted promotions
can drive business,
allowing the hotelier to
communicate directly with
guests in their room via
the TV
Broad Content and
Information Access
A good system will enable
guests to watch video
programmes in their own
language, find information
on weather, air transport
and local “where to go”,
as well as including music
on demand.
Interactive
through such a system,
a guest can place orders
or obtain personalised
information.
INTERFACE
Easy navigation
Intuitive design today often
includes the use of sliding
menus or content viewed
through lists or grids. It’s
important to be able to
include hotel branding as
part of the interface.
Simple remote control
A single stylish remote
control should provide all
the elements needed for
both simple navigation and
easy Internet browsing.
The use of the guest’s
own device can also be a
nice alternative, through a
specific app.
Multiple languages
Especially in Europe, menus
should be available in
multiple languages.
PRODUCTS
SENSIQ BY QUADRIGA
THE FUTURE
In future, even more
people will rely on
their smartphone or
tablet as a source of
entertainment and
information and the
interactivity between
this device and the
in-room system should
become even more
seamless.
A MULTI-MEDIA GUEST COMMUNICATIONS SOLUTION
SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED FOR YOUR HOTEL
A powerful set of tools and applications
that can be tailored to create a unique
communications solution to your specific
business demands and challenges.
Everything in the
future will depend on
the Internet bandwidth
you are able to offer,
and clever integration
of cloud-based services
with specific relevance
to your property and
region.
NEW PHILIPS MEDIASUITE HOSPITALITY TVs
New Philips MediaSuite hospitality TVs provide
future-proof connectivity and sophisticated
remote management tools:
• Hoteliers benefit from easy to handle remote
configuration and management tools and low
total cost of ownership
• Smart TV offering can be loaded with a set of
online apps individually put together for each
guest room
• Secure connectivity features seamlessly integrate
guests’ smart mobile devices
Turning Your MiniBars
into Satisfaction Centers
With a global presence, Mobile Simple provides operational
solutions for the hospitality industry to streamline minibar operations
in hotel guestrooms. Their latest innovation, ABreez, is a game
changer, as it is the first cloud-based mobile application. We asked
Christelle Pigeat, CEO – Mobile Simple to tell us more…
ABreez by Mobile Simple is the first cloudbased mobile solution designed to address
the entire in-room minibar and amenity
management process. This patent-pending
solution is breathing new life into the
minibar department. No other hospitality
company is offering a solution so powerful
that leverages the cloud and mobility like
ABreez to optimize minibar operations. We
believe that ABreez is setting up a NEW
STANDARD for hospitality in how all minibar
and in-room amenities will be managed
going forward.
With ABreez, hotels receive immediate
deployment, speed and flexibility in a highly
secured environment. Once signed up, we
can have a property's minibar department
up and running within 24 hours. There is
no need to buy, build, and maintain an IT
infrastructure to support ABreez. Hoteliers
simply access it online. ABreez gives total
freedom to hoteliers regarding their choice
of the in-room hardware.
What would you say are the main USPs
of this product?
Best ROI: You can subscribe to ABreez for
a low fee per room, per month. It includes
unlimited users per property, online training,
online support and upgrades. And the more
hoteliers engage in time, the more discount
they will have.
30-days free trial: We want to give hoteliers
the ability to evaluate the benefits by
themselves without any compromise. Try it
and then adopt it.
www.cleverhotel.org
Once signed up, we
can have a property's
minibar department
up and running
within 24 hours.
ABreez is the first cloud-based mobile
application for the minibar industry: ABreez
Mobile native application is designed for
room attendants with a high-quality user
experience plus all the necessary features
for room attendants to perform their daily
tasks in a minimum number of clicks.
ABreez Cloud is a powerful, yet simple,
management tool designed for F&B
Managers. ABreez Cloud will increase a
hotel’s bottom line through more effective
merchandising, and it will control costs
through a more efficient posting process,
thereby increasing productivity technology
solution made to simplify minibar
operations.
It makes sense financially, it makes sense
operationally, it’s simple to deploy and
easy to manage.
Getting started with ABreez is simple:
1. S
ign-up for a 30-days FREE TRIAL
on www.Mobile-Simple.com
2. Provide the required information to
set up your property.
3. Download ABreez free mobile app.
4. Connect to your PMS and you have
II
a full online solution
Christelle
Pigeat
CEO, Mobile Simple
CONTACT
Mobile Simple
Tel: +1 702 998 3675
[email protected]
www.mobile-simple.com
00:00
© Cleverdis
Downtown Miami
TRAVEL
& TOURISM
New Horizons
New Ideas in Affordable Care and US Tourism
Leery of traveling to a less-developed country,
where places like Thailand, India and Cost
Rica have become synonymous with medical
tourism, some Americans – and their employers
-- are finding affordable treatments and
procedures in nearer places – Poland, Turkey,
Hungary, Germany, Italy, to name a few – and at
levels on par with comparable services offered
in the United States, but
without the wait and at a
fraction of the expense.
Cross-border legislation
fuels the free-movement
of Europeans for
healthcare within the
continent
Cross-border legislation
fuels the free-movement of
Europeans for healthcare
within the continent,
and the directive also
packs the potential to
develop a number of sites equipped with
the proper resources – geography, climate,
transportation and hospitality infrastructure
and, of course, quality medical services -into attractive health travel destinations not
only for Americans, but for travelers from the
Middle East, Australia and even parts of Asia.
The passage of the Affordable Care Act –
www.cleverhotel.org
affectionately dubbed Obamacare -- doubles
down on the link between employment and
health insurance by mandating that large
employers offer benefits or pay a penalty.
US employees who might be contemplating
serious, but routine elective surgeries like hip or
knee replacement, cataract removal, or a heart
bypass are thus seriously seeking alternatives to
overcrowded, expensive US facilities. European
hospitals are offering comparable procedures
and treatments at rates much lower than those
available in the United States. In 2011, 82,854
foreign patients were treated in Germany
on an inpatient basis and about 123,000 on
an outpatient basis. This equates to annual
revenues to the tune of roughly €1 billion.
Hotels are also jumping on the bandwagon of
“medical wellness”. Numerous establishments
such as the stunning Hotel Aleksander in
Slovenia now offer “preventive” treatments,
with 24 care - fast growing in popularity.
Our thanks to the Medical Tourism Association for
their input with this article. See also the exclusive
interview with association President Renée-Marie
Stephano in the following pages.
JUNE TO OCTOBER 2014
new properties in your offerings.
Many thanks to the PR staff and
agents of the large international
chains who have helped us to
compile this list. Hotel friends,
please feel free to contact us
for this topic, which will now
be a permanent fixture in our
SMARTreport.
INNSIDE WOLFSBURG
Wolfsburg, Germany
HILTON SUITES MAKKAH
Makkah, Saudi Arabia
HILTON BATUMI
Batumi, Georgia
JULY
This industry is like a vast game
of chess where survival and
development always passes by
thinking at least "one move ahead”.
So we decided to help our readers,
especially TOs & TAs, by launching
a Hotel Opening Calendar,
enabling you to be among the
first to integrate these brand
JUNE
Hotel Opening
Calendar
KEMPINSKI HOTEL CHANGSHA
Changsha, China
YANKI LAKE KEMPINSKI HOTEL
Beijing, China
SEPTEMBER 2014
HILTON OKINAWA CHATAN RESORT
Hilton Plano
Granite Park
Okinawa-ken, Japan
NOVOSIBIRSK MARRIOTT HOTEL
Novosibirsk, Russia
Dallas, Texas, USA
LE MERIDIEN DHAKA
AUGUST
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Accra, Ghana
Mont Pelerin, Switzerland
PHOENIX HOTEL DALIAN
Dalian, China
OCTOBER 2014
SHERATON NANCHANG HOTEL
Jiangxi, China
HILTON MOZHAISK BORODINO HOTEL
& SPA
Moscow, Russia
Sheraton Dubai
Tower Sheikh
Zayed Road
Hotel
HILTON ALEXANDRIA KING'S RANCH
RESORT
Alexandria, Egypt
HILTON PLANO GRANITE PARK
Dallas, Texas, USA
FOUR POINTS BY SHERATON GUILIN
Guangxi, China
OCTOBER
Located at the forefront
of Dubai’s most
prominent thoroughfare,
the Sheraton Dubai
Tower Sheikh Zayed
Road Hotel seamlessly
connects to the heart of
the booming business
district.
KEMPINSKI HOTEL GOLD COAST CITY
ACCRA
DU PARC KEMPINSKI PRIVATE
RESIDENCES
SEPTEMBER
Situated in the
prestigious Granite Park
development in the
north Dallas suburb of
Plano, Texas, the Hilton
Dallas-Plano Granite
Park hotel is only 25
minutes from DallasFort Worth International
Airport (DFW) and 20
minutes from Dallas
Love Field (DAL).
HILTON PANAMA
Panama City, Panama
L’HÔTEL RENAISSANCE PARIS
HIPPODROME DE SAINT CLOUD
Paris, France
SHERATON DUBAI TOWER SHEIKH
ZAYED ROAD HOTEL
THE WESTIN UBUD RESORT & SPA
ADVERTISING CONTACT: [email protected]
Bali, Indonesia
Travel & Tourism
Smart Luxury
Conrad Hotels & Resorts: the luxury of being yourself
Conrad is all about delivering “smart luxury”. But just what
does that mean? To get the inside line on Conrad’s latest
news, we spoke to John Vanderslice, Global Head, Luxury
Brands, Hilton Worldwide.
How does Conrad define itself today
and what has changed in this sense
over the past few years?
Conrad Hotels & Resorts is the destination
for the new generation of smart luxury
travelers for whom life, business and
pleasure seamlessly intersect – people
who know that the greatest luxury is
the luxury of being yourself. Conrad
offers guests personalized experiences
with sophisticated surroundings while
connecting to people and places at 23
properties across five continents.
One of the key parts of your marketing
is your Concierge app. Please tell
us more about this and how it helps
guests during their stay.
The Conrad Concierge mobile app
( w w w. c o n r a d h o t e l s . c o m / c o n c i e r g e )
delivers intuitive service to guests while
they're on-property or out exploring the
city around the hotel. Launched in 2012,
our app puts the power of personalized
service into the palm of our guests' hands,
whether it's pre-checking in or ordering
room service to customizing the room’s
pillow options or arranging reservations
at our locally inspired cuisine and spa
offerings. Conrad Concierge is an awardwinning travel app that has been our most
significant technological innovation that
truly acts as a natural extension of the
brand’s DNA.
How would you best outline the value
proposition of Conrad?
Conrad is all about delivering smart luxury.
Guests can always expect to experience
a world of style at our hotels through
www.cleverhotel.org
Conrad is all
about delivering
smart luxury.
Guests can
always expect
to experience a
world of style at
our hotels
intuitively designed and flawlessly executed
public spaces humming with energy. Just
as the brand is devoted to creating infinite
connections with the cultures surrounding
each property, global luxury travelers
can expect subtle yet impactful local
influences at each hotel. Finally, Conrad’s
intuitive service is intelligent and discreet,
especially when guests use our Conrad
Concierge app.
Your biggest new openings appear
to be in China and the Middle East
(among others). What is your growth
strategy?
Conrad’s overall growth strategy is to
target the most sought-after destinations
throughout the globe. Conrad has recently
opened properties in destinations like
Algarve, Beijing and Dubai, and plans to
introduce smart luxury to Mecca, Manila,
Pune, Ft. Lauderdale, and Cartagena in
2015.
John T.A.
Vanderslice
Global Head, Luxury Brands,
Hilton Worldwide
John T. A. Vanderslice serves as the Global
Head of Luxury Brands, Hilton Worldwide, which
includes Conrad Hotels & Resorts and Waldorf
Astoria Hotels & Resorts. Vanderslice joined
Hilton Worldwide in September 2009 and has an
extensive background in international hospitality
and packaged goods. He has worked at such
notable companies as Club Med, Inc. and Kraft
General Foods.
CONTACT
Hilton Worldwide
7930 Jones Branch Drive
McLean, VA 22102 - USA
Kim Westhoff, Director of Luxury Accounts
Tel. +1 602 955 6600
Travel & Tourism
The Americans Are Coming!
Medical Tourism Patients Revolutionizing European Healthcare Markets
Bruce Ryan, a 59-year-old construction manager at the Blue Lake Casino and Hotel in California –
has recently returned home after a rather unusual vacation in France… one that will no doubt spur-on
an increasing number of US employees to take a similar course when needed.
With constant pain and inflammation in his
shoulder, it was found that Ryan’s rotator
cuff needed to be repaired. Through his
HR management however, Ryan learned
that the surgery would not involve a sixhour automobile trip to Stanford University
Hospital, in Palo Alto, Calif. -- the closest
facility capable of performing the procedure
-- but instead would mean an excursion
halfway across the globe.
Renée-Marie
Stephano,
Esquire
Tourism Association
Renée-Marie Stephano, President
and Co-Founder of the Medical
Tourism Association and editorin-chief of Medical Tourism
Magazine, works closely with
governments, hospitals, business
leaders and travel and tourism
entities to develop sustainable
medical tourism/international
patient programs and strategies
throughout the world. She has
authored and co-authored several
books, has been a keynote speaker
at hundreds of international
conferences and has been a
valuable resource regarding medical
tourism initiatives in media outlets
worldwide.
Governments and hospitals in Europe have
only recently begun promoting their services
on an international level. And, despite what
many European providers predicted, U.S.
employers are eager to hear what they have
to say: Americans are not driven on price
points alone.
Blue Lake’s bundled benefit plan includes
medical, dental, vision, pharmaceutical and
wellness coverage. And a few years ago,
the company added a medical tourism
component to its plan. But until Ryan’s
recent trip, not one of their employees had
been willing to take a chance on a procedure
further afield than in Mexico.
Thanks to his partnerships over the years
with the Medical Tourism Association, Jack
Norton, the human resources manager who
introduced medical tourism to Blue Lake
coverage plans, learned of the Clinique de
l’Union -- a 531-bed surgical and obstetric
facility in Toulouse, France, where Ryan’s
surgery would be performed. Considered
among the leading private hospitals in
Europe, the establishment provided the
advantages – to both patient and employer
-- associated with health travel that caught
Norton’s eye.
Once Ryan was convinced, Norton sought
the assistance of France Surgery, a local
medical tourism company in Toulouse, which
France is very
affordable and the
level of healthcare
services is very high
helped arrange medical and travel logistics
with the hospital and hospitality entities.
“When people think of medical tourism,
most think of Latin America because it
is inexpensive,” said Carine Hilaire, an
operations manager at France Surgery. “But,
that’s changing. France is very affordable
and the level of healthcare services is very
high. People just don’t realize it -- yet.”
WINNING TICKET
Ryan is back home on the job now at Blue
Lake Rancheria following a 21-day trip to
France that included successful rotator cuff
surgery, post-op recovery, aftercare, sightseeing excursions with his wife, Joyce, to the
Pyrenees mountain range and 50 percent off
the $32,000 cost his employer would have
had to pay for the procedure in the United
States.
“It amazes me that the United States could
be so medieval in its healthcare,” said Ryan.
“Surgery, both quality and experience, were
exceptional. Cost of course was unbelievable
compared to what I would have had in terms
of co-payments in the United States.”
Norton says the trifecta – elevated quality and
outcomes, price value, and travel experience
in France – was a tremendous payoff and
opportunity that proved to be a winning
ticket for both employer and employee.

Publication - cleverhotel.org

Transcription

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